Joel

THE BOOK OF

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INTRODUCTION

JOEL (meaning "one to whom Jehovah is God," that is, worshipper of

Jehovah) seems to have belonged to Judah, as no reference occurs to

Israel; whereas he speaks of Jerusalem, the temple, the priests, and

the ceremonies, as if he were intimately familiar with them (compare

Joe 1:14; 2:1, 15, 32;

3:1, 2, 6, 16, 17, 20, 21).

His predictions were probably delivered in the early days of Joash

870-865 B.C.; for no reference is made in them to

the Babylonian, Assyrian, or even the Syrian invasion; and the only

enemies mentioned are the Philistines, Phœnicians, Edomites, and

Egyptians

(Joe 3:4, 19).

Had he lived after Joash, he would doubtless have mentioned the Syrians

among the enemies whom he enumerates since they took Jerusalem and

carried off immense spoil to Damascus

(2Ch 24:23, 24).

No idolatry is mentioned; and the temple services, the priesthood, and

other institutions of the theocracy, are represented as flourishing.

This all answers to the state of things under the high priesthood of

Jehoiada, through whom Joash had been placed on the throne and who

lived in the early years of Joash

(2Ki 11:17, 18; 12:2-16;

2Ch 24:4-14).

He was the son of Pethuel.

The first chapter describes the desolation caused by an inroad of

locusts--one of the instruments of divine judgment mentioned by Moses

(De 28:38, 39)

and by Solomon

(1Ki 8:37).

The second chapter

(Joe 2:1-11):

the appearance of them, under images of a hostile army suggesting that

the locusts were symbols and forerunners of a more terrible scourge,

namely, foreign enemies who would consume all before them. (The absence

of mention of personal injury to the inhabitants is not a just

objection to the figurative interpretation; for the figure is

consistent throughout in attributing to the locusts only injury to

vegetation, thereby injuring indirectly man and beast).

Joe 2:12-17:

exhortation to repentance, the result of which will be: God will

deliver His people, the former and latter rains shall return to

fertilize their desolated lands, and these shall be the pledge of the

spiritual outpouring of grace beginning with Judah, and thence

extending to "all flesh."

Joe 2:18-3:21:

God's judgments on Judah's enemies, whereas Judah shall be established

for ever.

Joel's style is pre-eminently pure. It is characterized by smoothness

and fluency in the rhythms, roundness in the sentences, and regularity

in the parallelisms. With the strength of Micah it combines the

tenderness of Jeremiah, the vividness of Nahum, and the sublimity of

Isaiah. As a specimen of his style take the second chapter wherein the

terrible aspect of the locusts, their rapidity, irresistible progress,

noisy din, and instinct-taught power of marshalling their forces for

their career of devastation, are painted with graphic reality.